Almost every week, a new patient will say something to the effect of, “I want to look better, but I’m so afraid of looking ‘worked-on’”. While there are unfortunate examples of what I call “The Look” all around us, it’s important to know that the sort of overdone, vaguely alien appearance that most of us want to avoid never ever needs to happen. Nor do we need to sacrifice a significant improvement for a natural appearance. We can have the best of both worlds -- really.

It goes without saying that extensive training in the head, eyes/eyelids and neck is imperative for a physician who is going to perform any eyelid, facelift or filler procedures. Additionally, aside from performing the procedures well, the physician needs to make an even more basic assessment of just which procedures need to be performed! As basic as that sounds, there are, for instance, facelifts done when the skin is wrinkled and volume has been lost from the face. In these cases, the lift may be OK technically, but the patient still looks tired, weathered or even a bit flattened out. In other cases, fillers may be given as a “lift” when the problem is gravity and a real lift needs to be done.

Fortunately in many cases revision procedures can be done to correct suboptimal results, although they may need to be “staged”, that is, done over time. In some cases involving fillers, I’ve just seen the patient periodically until a poorly placed or overdone filler starts to wear off. Then we start “tweaking” until eventually the effect is what we want.

The most beautiful and natural looking results require the physician to have a distinct talent, an “eye” for beauty. This, like any artistic talent, is inborn and includes, but goes beyond, technical expertise and training. But when your “work” is done well, it won’t look done; you’ll just look great and people will say things like, “You look wonderful! Did you change your hair?”